Centrifugal pumps are used in many environments to pump a variety of fluids. For example, centrifugal pumps are used for electric submergible pumps placed within wells or in other submerged environments. The electric submergible pumps often are used in the production of petroleum or in the transfer of other fluids in well related environments.
Electric submergible pumps are formed with multiple pump stages that each have an impeller and a diffuser. Each pump stage can experience hydraulic losses due to secondary flow patterns that develop within the stage. Common causes of secondary flow are Coriolis forces in impellers as well as the curvature of vanes and passages in both impellers and diffusers. The secondary flow commonly has a lower velocity than the core flow and often collects at the suction/hub corner in diffusers and at the suction/shroud corner in impellers.